Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Friday, May 7, 2010
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Cold Nights
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Snacks - Homemade Chicken Nuggets
Chicken & leek casserole with flaky pastry
Chicken & leek casserole with flaky pastry
Ingredients (serves 4)
- 30g butter
- 1 leek, sliced
- 8 (850g) chicken thigh fillets, cut into chunks
- 1 cup frozen peas and corn
- 1 bunch asparagus, roughly chopped
- 490g jar Golden Honey & Mustard Chicken Tonight
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
Method
Preheat oven to 190°C. Melt butter in a large heavy-based pan. Add leek and saute 2-3 minutes until soft. Add chicken in batches and cook until lightly brown.
Stir in peas and corn and asparagus. Add jar of sauce and oregano and cook for 1 minute. Transfer mixture to an ovenproof casserole dish.
Brush edge of the dish with a little beaten egg. Lay pastry sheet over, pressing gently to stick to the dish. Trim edge, leaving a 1cm border. Brush top of pastry with egg. Pierce with a sharp knife to make 3 steam holes.
Bake for 40 minutes or until puffed and golden. Serve.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Beef Casserole with parmesan dumplings
Slow-cooked beef with parmesan & herb dumplings
Ingredients (serves 6)
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 1.8kg gravy beef, excess fat trimmed, cut into 3cm pieces
- 400g button mushrooms, halved
- 5 (about 250g) bacon rashers, rind removed, coarsely chopped
- 1 large brown onion, coarsely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 x 400g can diced tomatoes
- 375ml (1 1/2 cups) beef stock
- 125ml (1/2 cup) red wine
- 3 small sprigs fresh rosemary
- 90g (1/3 cup) tomato paste
- 1 egg, lightly whisked
- Parmesan & herb dumplings
- 300g (2 cups) self-raising flour
- 80g chilled butter, chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh continental parsley
- 60g (3/4 cup) shredded parmesan
- 185ml (3/4 cup) milk
Method
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a stockpot over medium-high heat. Add half the beef and cook for 2-3 minutes each side or until browned. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining beef, reheating the pan between batches.
Heat remaining oil in the pan over medium heat. Add mushroom, bacon, onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 4-5 minutes or until onion is soft. Add the beef, tomato, stock, wine and rosemary. Stir to combine. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 1/2 hours or until the beef is tender. Stir in the tomato paste. Season with salt and pepper. Increase heat to medium-high. Cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, to make the parmesan & herb dumplings, place flour in a large bowl and use your fingertips to rub butter into flour. Stir in the parsley and 40g (1/2 cup) of the parmesan. Add the milk. Use a round-bladed knife in a cutting motion to mix until evenly incorporated and the mixture begins to hold together. Divide the mixture evenly into 18 portions and roll each portion into a ball.
Preheat oven to 220°C. Transfer the beef mixture to a 4L (16-cup) capacity ovenproof dish. Place dumplings on top. Brush with egg. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until dumplings are golden.